John Stearns, ex-Mets All-Star catcher, dead at 71

Former Mets catcher John Stearns died at the age of 71 on Thursday.

A four-time All-Star, Stearns played 10 MLB seasons, coming to the Mets in a 1975 in a six-player trade that send Tug McGraw to the Phillies.

No cause of death was immediately available, though he was battling prostate cancer.

“If the word is out that I’ve got cancer, and that people are concerned about me passing away right away, it’s incredibly amazing that they would reach out to me,” Stearns told The Denver Post in July. “And it gives me the incentive to fight even harder.”

Despite his condition, Stearns made an appearance at the Mets Old Timers’ Day in May.